User Reviews

Director and writer Lars von Trier's 1996 "Breaking the Waves" received much attention worldwide when initially released. Commentary reflected the high degree of polarization this long, engrossing and deeply disturbing Indie film created. I saw it when it first briefly hit Manhattan theaters and last night I watched the DVD release, reabsorbed in its intricacies.

Emily Watson's portrayal as young Bess McNeill is the most powerful performance of a career still in the ascendancy. Bess lives in a small Scottish village by the sea, away from any center of culture or heterogeneity. She has no job and she appears to volunteer her services as a janitor at the church which her family attends. It is the dominating religious, social and - I suspect - political entity in the area.

Bess has one friend, a woman who becomes increasingly important both to her and the story, nurse Dodo McNeill, widowed wife of Bess's brother. (Katrin Cartlidge, a truly gifted and beautiful actress, is Dodo. A tragedy, she died in 2002 of pneumonia barely into her forties.)

The movie begins with Bess asking, apparently, for permission to marry an "outsider." She receives, in church, grudging authorization to wed Jan, a worker on an off-shore oil rig (the always interesting Stellan Skarsgard). We're never told how she met him but the church scene immediately and succinctly conveys the fear and, indeed, near loathing the male religious oligarchs have of anyone entering their closed and tightly controlled community.

Jan and Bess wed in a ceremony followed by a party where some of Jan's hard drinking work pals attend but hardly mingle with the lemonade-sipping locals (there's a very funny chug-a-lug competition that highlights the dividing lines neatly).

Bess is not only a virgin, she's never seen a naked man before. Her initiation into sex is rather a success and her love for Jan deepens as rapidly as her new found lust for vigorous and frequent love-making.

Jan suffers a near fatal accident on the rig and is flown back to hospital. It doesn't take long for the doctors to determine he's permanently paralyzed from the neck down. Dr. Richardson (Adrian Rawlins) becomes chief physician not only to Jan but to his disconsolate wife who prays for a miraculous recovery while remaining devoted to her husband.

What happens next is the plot twist that has fascinated many and repelled quite a few. Jan, knowing that physical intimacy with Bess is impossible, asks her - no, really implores her - to take on any number of lovers AND report back the details of her trysts. After a hesitant and almost funny start, she complies. As her sex life accelerates any humor evaporates.

The results of the ongoing experiment in vicarious lovemaking for Jan and for Bess, sinking way beyond her depth, are disastrous. She slowly elides into a twisted caricature of the personality envisioned by Jan. Communal rejection is not far off. And this in a community where membership in the church is the sole indicium of civic and personal legitimacy.

Some critics and viewers described Bess as retarded or simple from the beginning. I found her to be naive and inexperienced, the kind of sheltered person for whom marriage to a man of broad experience and unfettered sexuality is boundlessly liberating. Bess's inevitable penance does not stem from any interior failing of her's. It's the "game" urged on by Jan that exposes her to the venomous wrath of religious fundamentalists whose innate need to condemn and consign to hell (literally and volubly) is beyond Jan's imagination. Whether his desire that she engage in sexual escapades really reflected his belief that it would make him feel better or whether this was an evolving pathological caprice on his part (and both views have strong adherents here on IMDb and elsewhere), he did not foresee the resulting debacle.

On several levels von Trier has mirrored, through powerful acting and awesome direction, that small, closed society whose fundamentalist interiority is a microcosm of the hatred that blind, non-humanistic religion often brings (it's easy to see the stern, unsmiling, dogma-obsessed church leader as a modern incarnation of the sixteenth century's John Knox of Edinburgh).

Von Trier won't let Bess escape as her situation worsens. Dr. Richardson and Dodo first ask and then beg her to abandon her self-destructive and now publicly shocking behavior. There is a sense of classical tragedy in the painful unfolding of Bess's mental and physical deterioration. She can't curtail her conduct because of her absolute devotion to Jan and her community can't and won't understand or forgive her.

The resolution is wrenching but also uplifting with the suggestion that Bess's acts reflect good in a pristine sense. It's not meant to be realistic but to deliver, I felt, a needed moral lesson.

"Breaking the Waves" isn't for everyone. It does showcase brilliant acting and direction in a fable that has some very uncompromising arguments about a religious dominance which only concerns itself with a believed afterlife, caring nothing about addressing the pains of living and administering to its sufferers compassionately.

10/10

When I first watched this film, I wasn't quite sure what period this was set in (the early 1970's according to many), where it was (Scotland, I think), or what exactly was wrong with Beth (Emily Watson in a break out performance). Was she nuts? Was she just a bit slow? Was she simply oppressed by the fanatical religious fervor of her town and family? I watched the whole thing with a skeptical eye. Von Trier's dogmatic style of filming (with shaky hand-held cameras, lots of intimate close-ups and a gritty texture to the stock that actually makes it look like a film from the early 70's) irked me on some level, but then I loved the "chapter breaks" with the striking wide-screen vistas of scenic wonders accompanied by pop music (from the 70's). It was all mildly interesting and a bit strange (which is always good), and when Beth made her huge "sacrifice" I didn't quite know what to make of it all, it all being so grim and emotionally draining. And then, the end, one little scene reminded me that this was not supposed to be some gritty piece of character drama, but a work of art, and suddenly, I lit up at the sight and sound of the last scene and it all made sense, Beth made sense (in a surreal way), and it was all so wonderful and tragic and wholly satisfying. Von Trier had given me a totally unique cinematic experience, and whether or not I "liked" the film had become moot. It had affected me like no other film before, and that is the highest remark any work or art could hope for.

Bess is obviously a Christ figure - mystical, thought by others as slightly bonkers and different. Just like Christ her message was "All you need is love". She performed miracles such as praying that Jan could walk again. The Exclusive Brethren are of course the Pharisees - sticklers for rules and the holy law. They have lost touch with God, and forgotten about compassion and the humaneness of humanity. Her sister in law is a Doubting Thomas. The doctor is one of the apostles or possibly John the Baptist - perhaps someone with a deeper knowledge of the Bible can explain the parallels better than I. She suffered for her beliefs at the hands of the sadistic sailors and eventually died for the sake of love, just as Christ did at the hands of the Romans and scheming Pharissees. Her body was removed from the casket as Christ was also taken from the cave. Finally she was resurrected – the bells pealing in the sky.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and need to see it again to pick up on bits I missed the first time. I thought it was a very clever allegory.

Although Breaking the Waves is interesting in many aspects, like the beautiful cinematography by Robby Müller (Paris, Texas), it is the story that has the most staying power. Von Trier's movies have a tendency to watch like literature and the division in chapters presents the first comparison. The static shots with their slowly changing picture as introduction to each chapter foreshadow the story in a nutshell, for example the large village shot against the background of the small boat Bess uses to make her sacrifice, or the changing of the light in the flow of the river indicating a passing.

Set in a close strongly religious community it tells many stories: The most important is the destruction of an individual by that community that use the Bible to maintain control over its inhabitants. The ultimate punishment of abandonment is used to spread fear. One of the best scenes is at the wedding party: One of Jan's friends empties his glass in one, one of the elders does the same, Jan's friend breaks a plastic glass, the elder responds by breaking his glass resulting in a bleeding hand; this scene already stating the length the elders will go to maintain their power over the community. As Bess later returns to the church for consolation, she is only rejected by even her own parents.

It all watches like a Greek tragedy with biblical proportions: Bess has to make the ultimate sacrifice, become a prostitute and die for it, to rescue her husband Jan from his death. As Bess is the only true believer in the movie, only her prayers are answered. Note that none of the elders or the sailors on the boat Bess visits has proper names. And the story has more angles: A feminist one, as the community is lead by men that disallow women to speak. And a deep distrust for the medical practice, more obvious in Von Trier's Riget / The Kingdom (a must-see by the way), as Dr. Richardson only adds to the misery. I found the end shot somewhat redundant and naive; it is not the kind of shot present in Solyaris for example that questions the whole movie.

Von Trier is able to direct actresses in a way that their performance sticks to you weeks after you have seen the movie, here with Emily Watson. There is a parallel between the sacrifices Bess has to make for Jan and the sacrifices Von Trier demands from Emily Watson exposing her bare essentials and personality in front of the camera.

Breaking the Waves is a slow and overlong movie: It doesn't need 2 ½ hours to tell its story. But it still makes an overwhelming impression by acting and story.

I hated this absolutely dire film.

Emily Watson is a marvelous actress, and she's tremendous in this, but it's no thanks to the movie, which, whether intentional or not, is hateful to her. She's saddled with a degrading role, asked to play a simpleton who honors her crippled husband's wish to have sex with other men and tell him all about it, an arrangement that spins out of control until she is ultimately gang raped and beaten to death even as her husband regains the use of his legs. Had the husband remained crippled, the film, though still pointless, might at least have been a sad study in one woman's foolish devotion to a higher power; but instead, it suggests that her sacrifice was entirely worth it -- her husband walks, and a horrible ending finds the bells of heaven ringing merrily as she ascends to her God.

What drek. Lars von Trier is the worst kind of director, the kind that thinks it's his job to incite and provoke his audience, and that movies must be unendurable if they are to say anything that matters. What's most unendurable about this literally sickening movie is the hand-held camera work that not for one minute sits still. Von Trier would no doubt call me a Philistine, but he can kiss my ass and give me my money back.

Grade: F

"Breaking the Waves" is an emotionally potent (though rather heavy) romantic drama for its first half and then a cruel exercise in sadistic torture for its second. What starts as a relatively normal drama about a newly married couple struck by tragedy when the husband is paralyzed in an oil rig accident transforms into something much more intense, upsetting and emotionally manipulative. Von Trier is obviously known as a provocateur, and this film is no different. I guess what surprises me is that most people seem generally moved by this film. While I'd agree with that in relation to its first half, which feels very genuine and humanist, it's second half is something else entirely.

For a long time it's about the undying power of love in the face of physical hardships and it is very touching. Then one scene changes the films entire course and sends an already very heavy emotionally draining drama straight into the pits of hell. Character actions stop making sense, our protagonist goes down an easily avoidable path of self- destruction in a misguided attempt to save her husband, and the audience is dragged through the mud in increasingly uncomfortable, and sometimes absurd ways. By the time the wife decides to go back a second time to this mysterious rape boat owned by Udo Kier as a means of curing her husband (it's as odd as it sounds), you know you're not really watching the same film.

I've enjoyed many of Von Trier's movies, and while this review might sound on the contrary, I enjoyed this one a lot too. I watched it on blu ray and it looked fantastic. Say what you will of Von Trier's visual aesthetic (which, with its grainy hand-held photography, is admittedly exhausting), the new high definition transfer really brings out the depth and raw beauty in his images. It is not a sloppy looking film as some have argued.

What is most unsettling about Breaking the Waves is how it just kind of dramatically explodes halfway through, and while I don't really find it very moving (it's too sick and mean-spirited to feel very genuine, especially it's appalling "happy" ending), it is fascinating and absorbing all the way through. I don't think it quite works, but I appreciate its willingness to take the audience on an excruciating journey and let them ponder on such interesting topics as religious faith and the power (or absence) of God. Emily Watson is a revelation and Bess is a fantastic character. Even when Von Trier manipulates the narrative in the cruelest and most unnecessary ways just to further torture this poor woman, she still anchors the entire film. I do feel like the second half betrays her character to some degree, but it's still a perfectly modulated performance from beginning to end. She has two standout scenes in the second half that I find very troubling, but also undeniably powerful.

My final point is that Lars Von Trier is insane and while this is one of his more normal looking movies, it is anything but. Proceed with caution.

***WARNING*** This review may contain plot spoilers

It's probably a case of one man's food being another man's poison, but there was a distinct part in the film where I felt my all my interest and involvement in it completely snapping off, where I thought, despite its concerted attempt to be a palpably credible, sensitive emotional document, it came across as a shallow and exploitative piece. Unfortunately this was the main turning point of the film's narrative. This offbeat character drama is divided into several titled chapters based on what the director feels is the dominating event/theme of the chapter. The plot centers on Bess (Emily Watson), a girl who comes of a suffocatingly closed and ascetic coastal community that frowns upon all worldly attachments including mundane emotional ties, believing in complete surrender to a stern uncompromising God. Bess is intensely high-strung and child-like, the product of innate psychological disorder and an abnormally religious upbringing where being 'good' in the eyes of God is the sole raison d'être. She is shown indulging in regular conversation with divinity where she supplies voices for herself and 'God'. Life takes a significant turn when she marries Jan (Stellan Skarsgard, unrecognizable from his turn as the persecuted conductor in Szabo's 'Taking Sides' which I have talked about previously), an off-shore oil-rig worker and ardent young husband. Bess believes the fruits of marital pleasure to be God's reward for her being 'good' and even sighs thanks to the Lord in her moment of carnal bliss. She is intensely attached to Jan's physical presence and grows alarmingly distraught when he leaves for his extended work schedules on the oilrig. Bess fervently prays to her God to send Jan back early. Jan does arrive early.but as the victim of a terrible accident that has left him almost completely paralyzed from neck down. Bess is stricken with sorrow and consuming guilt and watches obsessively over Jan. Jan, on the other hand, is caught up with the idea that without going through the act of making love to Bess, he will surely die. He wants Bess to sleep with other people and relate her experience as a means of reliving their passionate marital life. And this is where the film lost me. It's not because the idea came as a shocking surprise because I'd heard about the film's premise. It's not because the film dips into pornography; no, every effort is taken to maintain a realistic, non-titillating, even sordid touch in the scenes of Bess's misguided promiscuity. It's just that the entire idea seems to me presented in such a pat manner as to suggest that everything in the film up to that point was just filled in to reach that turn. Nothing in Jan's character till then indicates that he would have any such predilection and even the vague references as to how his injures and prolonged exposure to medicinal drugs would affect his mind seem very ham-handed. From the turn the narrative took from this point on, despite what goodness the film may have possessed in terms of specific acting and directorial touches, I could not shake off the idea of it being a cheesy melodramatic and ultimately exploitative flick. That's just my opinion and I respect the view of those who would disagree on this issue Trier aims to achieve a grainy, off-color documentary style look for his film and it works quite fine although I could have done with less of the jerky hand-held camera movements. Each chapter in the film is heralded by a post-card coastal scene accompanied a track from the classic rock era (My ignorant self could only specifically identify 'Blowing in the Wind', 'Cross-Eyed Mary' and 'Child in Time', I'm sure others would do better). The film's leading light Emily Watson does a sincere and often affecting turn as Bess, bringing across the pathological devotion to her husband, which leads her to acts of perversion and ultimate tragedy. I wish the film had been more fully deserving of her efforts.